According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 145 million American adults prefer to walk “as part of a physically active lifestyle”, whether it is a daily constitutional, performing a walking exercise or simply participating in activities such as walking the dog. This is of course good. As the CDC notes, walking can help lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, depression and even certain cancers. As we have reported, walking for just 20 minutes a day can, among other positive benefits, burn up to 110 calories and reduce the risk of premature death by 30%.
But if you want to maximize the benefits of your walks, it is important that you fill your stomach with the right food before and after you hit the sidewalk – and there are some foods that you would be wise to avoid. According to Tanuja Sharma, a physician, a family physician at Tampa General Hospital in Florida – who recently spoke with the local ABC News subsidiary about going to the gym and improving your health – you should focus your diet on vegetables and make sure you “buy different colors.”
She also recommends certain foods to avoid: All dairy products. You should also reduce your meat consumption. “The reason why is that meat and dairy products are very processed the way it is done,” she explained. “There are hormones, preservatives and pesticides. A lot of it can basically affect our immunity and cause great devastation to our health.”
If you are going for a rigorous walk, she recommends that you eat “30 to 90 minutes” before you go. Good food options include oatmeal, smoothies, nuts, bananas and granola bars.
Otherwise, according to Sharma, the perfect meal contains a plate that is 50% vegetables in a variety of colors, 25% fish or “lean meat”, and the last 25% should be whole grains. You should also hydrate properly. She offers this trick to make sure you get enough water: Take your weight and divide in half and then apply ounces to that number. In other words, if you weigh 130 pounds, you should consume 65 ounces of water every day.
“A general rule of thumb is to try to hydrate enough until your urine is really light yellow or very clear,” she said. “It means your body is hydrated and your kidneys are filtering out what it needs.”
For a few more things to get the most out of your walks, read on, because we’ve included some great ones here. And for more health news, make sure you know the personality traits that skyrocket your risk of premature death.
It is important to make your walk fast – for your heart rate, your fat burning and your longevity. A study of cancer survivors published in the journal Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers and prevention found that “those who walked at the slowest pace had more than twice the risk of death from any cause, compared with those who reported the fastest walking pace.”
Despite what you have heard, you should not go out on foot with total dumbbells. “[Two- to five-pound dumbbells] do not create enough resistance to develop meaningful changes in strength, “Michele Olson, Ph.D., professor of exercise science at Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama, once explained to Real Simple. “Still, they are heavy enough to increase the risk of shoulder injuries.” For a good training inspiration, see why this simple walking training is a fantastic fat burner, says top trainers.
If you go for exercise, do not fall into the practice of taking extra long steps. “You may step forward a little, but you do not want to fight over and get really far ahead of yourself,” said Christopher John Lundstrom, a doctoral student, MEd, head of sports and exercise science at the University of Minnesota School of Kinesiology. The healthy. “It’s less stable, you’ll feel a little balanced, and if you plant your foot far in front of you, you basically hit the brakes every time you land.”
Several studies has shown that it is extremely important to have a strong support group to achieve and maintain weight loss success. They have also revealed that those who are part of a social support network lose more weight than their solo counterparts. For more reasons why you should join a group, see why this is the most effective way to exercise, according to psychologists.
